WorldCity Business Magazine

(3-a) Miami Trade 2007: 1st Quarter Exports - Computers Roar Past $701 million

by WC

Other solid gainers are phone equipment, printers, aircraft parts and construction machinery

When it comes to exports from the Miami Customs District, its difficult to find evidence that the tech bubble ever burst. If anything, the numbers indicate the tech boom hasnt died; it has just gone south benefiting South Floridas ports and trade community.

Computers scored a solid gain in the first three months of the year, breaking the $700 million barrier to $701 million, compared to $606 million in the same period of 2006. And although exports of computer parts showed a 10 percent drop to $620 million, it remained the second-largest exported good. Furthermore, the evidence suggests that the long-term trend for computer parts is positive exports are still up 24 percent over early 2004.

Together, computers and computer parts produced a commanding $1.321 billion in exports through the Miami district, just nudging their $1.299 pace of January-March of the previous year.

Complementing the IT/Telecom scene, exports of electronic integrated circuits were the sixth-leading export, holding steady at $364 million, a slight gain from a year earlier.

The tech-heavy export scene continued with the third-strongest export, electrical equipment for line telephony, which more than tripled to $538 million. How impressive is that number? Consider that just three years ago the figure was $139 million.

Ironically, the booming cellular world actually has been shrinking in terms of exports. Cellular transmission equipment lost more than half its export volume, dropping to $198 million from $407 million a year earlier. Three years earlier, the figure was $344 million, suggesting a structural shift could be underway there.

Also, exports related to the air transportation sector took off.

Exports of aircraft parts were up 24 percent in the first quarter, climbing to an altitude of $445 million from $356 million in the early 2006. The longterm stats are even more impressive up 66 percent from $267 million in the first quarter of 2004.

Aircraft, meanwhile, recovered from a drubbing last year and easily more than doubled, to $91 million in exports from $43 million. That figure is significant, because last years figure was unusually weak. The $91 million is nearly equal to the early 2004 levels, suggesting stability has returned.

Finally, regional jet parts continued their descent. Exports fell to $229 million, a 27 percent decline, and down from $271 million three years earlier.

WHAT WAS WEAK?

Perhaps reflecting the continuing turmoil in the apparel trade, sales of knitted fabrics unraveled, falling to $59 million from $80 million. T-shirts and tank tops also fell, to $40 million from $66 million, a 39 percent decline.

Meanwhile, jewelry parts also lost their luster. Quarterly exports were $58 million, a 56 percent drop from $133 million in the same period a year earlier. Thats looking like a long-term trend, with exports 42 percent below three years ago.

If it was a percentage gain you were looking for, look no further than printing machinery and ink. Historically, this sector has exported in the $10 million-$20 million range in the first quarter.

This year, that figure rocketed to $167 million. The percentage gain: 1,049 percent.